The bell pepper is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, chocolate/brown, vanilla/white, and purple. Bell peppers and a host of pepper cousins are some of the most versatile vegetables in the kitchen, no matter where you go in the world. They make a yummy sauté with onions, and find themselves sliced or diced in salads, soups, and casseroles.

Health Benefits

Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C, like green peppers, for instance, which contain more than twice the vitamin C of an orange, helps protect against scurvy, boosts the immune system, lowers inflammation in the arteries that leads to heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol build up, and scavenges harmful free radicals from the body. Other nutritional benefits of bell peppers include thiamin, niacin, folate, magnesium, and copper.